Duke Roufus of Roufusport MMA Academy was a guest on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, previewing Anthony Pettis’ Lightweight title defense against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185 this weekend.
Roufus was also asked about another of his trainees, former WWE Champion CM Punk. He noted that he’s been friends with Punk for some time, and have been in contact since they sat together at a UFC event years ago.
“I will not let Punk go out there and make a mockery of himself or our sport – I love this sport. He’s putting serious work in. What I love about him is his attitude. He’s so hungry and he doesn’t expect to be treated like a prima donna.”
“He shows up every day. He mops the mats with the newer people every day at the end of practice. He has a great attitude.”
Since Punk signed a deal with UFC in late 2014, many fans want to know how the veteran pro wrestler will fare in a legitimate fighting competition. Roufus had some good news following their first scrimmage.
“He’s a natural striker. When he did his scrimmage last week he was pretty comfortable in the fire. He didn’t freak out, he didn’t panic and that’s what I’m looking for in new fighters. You can teach skill – you can’t teach will.”
While many are hoping to see CM Punk fight in 2015, and at 36-years-old one would assume sooner equals better for breaking into the sport, Duke admitted he’d be more comfortable if they had the next year to prepare for their first UFC bout.
“His fans are amazing. You guys are so nice and so supportive, it’s amazing. His fans – if Brock [Lesnar] comes back – his fans are going to elevate our sport to a whole new level. MMA is big but it can always get bigger.”
